IC 2118 The Witch Head Nebula

Shot from YFOS 1/9/10 which was a cold and sometimes windy night. It was 5°F when I left at 1:30AM. Good temp for the camera as it keeps the noise down. In this image North is down and Rigel is out of the frame to the right or East.

IC 2118 (also known as Witch Head Nebula due to its shape), is believed to be an ancient supernova remnant or gas cloud illuminated by nearby supergiant Rigel in Orion. It lies in the Eridanus constellation, about 900 light-years from Earth. The nature of the dust particles, reflecting blue light better than red, is a factor in giving the Witch Head its blue color. -wiki